A New Associate Editor Approaches...

Allow me to now officially introduce myself: I'm Kimberley
Wallace, and I couldn't be happier to be the new Associate Editor at Game
Informer. Before joining Game Informer, I was the Managing Editor of
RPGFan.com. I was also a freelance writer; my work has appeared in Official
Xbox Magazine, GamesRadar, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, and Joystiq. But
I'm sure you're more curious in my gaming tastes and how they began, so let's
get to it.

I have vague memories of playing One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry
Bird with my brother, but probably my earliest gaming cred comes from me
sneaking into my brothers' room while they were at school and setting up the
NES. Of course, due to not having any formal instruction, I learned to play
holding the controller upside down. (I was a bright child, alright.) The habit
became so ingrained that I didn't stop until the PlayStation era; one of these
days we'll have to try to see if I can still do it.

The SNES era was when I found the genre I absolutely adore,
RPGs. I have my late grandpa to thank for that; we used to sit and play them
together. Our favorite game was Secret of Mana and the scene where the main
character gets banished from Potos
Village still gets me
misty-eyed. What I love so much about RPGs is the attachment factor: learning
about characters and watching them develop throughout the journey. Writing is
also important to me, especially if an RPG can keep me guessing with its
unpredictable twists. For this reason, Suikoden earns the top-spot as my favorite
series. Not many series can totally blindside me with betrayal quite like it.
Some other honorable mentions for my favorite RPGs include Shadow Hearts:
Covenant, Xenosaga, Kingdom Hearts, Persona 3, Earthbound, Alundra, Mass
Effect, and Dragon Age. Of course, I have mad love for other genres and you can
usually spot me getting my spook on with a Survival Horror game, entertaining
my competitive spirit with EA's NHL series, or keeping myself guessing with a
graphic adventure. Why won't the Ace Attorney series give my Pearls her own
spin-off, already?!

At Game Informer, I'm hoping to bring some interesting stories
your way that you don't see everywhere. Something magical happens when we load
up games, and I'm adamant on honing in on the positive impact games have on us
all. Because every time we step into a new gaming world, a plethora of
possibilities are around every corner, and the journey often leaves a lasting
memory that's so strong we come to places like here to discuss and analyze
their impact. How is that not completely awesome?

Lastly, I'd like to personally thank all of you for the warm
welcome. Your tweets and messages have really made my day, and I want you to
know I appreciate them all. I couldn't be more enthused to enter into such a
welcoming and dedicated community, and I'm super excited to share my writing
with you all.